Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership Board of Visitors Co-Chair Marco Antonio Achon
The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York is pleased to announce the appointment of Marco Antonio Achón, global head of Corporate Banking, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, as co-chair of the Colin Powell School Board of Visitors. He joins Linda Powell as co-chair of a Board of Visitors with 26 other distinguished members.
“Since joining the Board of Visitors at my dad’s invitation in 2019, Marco Antonio Achón has become an extraordinary leader at the Colin Powell School,” said Powell. “He has deepened our partnership with Santander, creating pathways for our students to careers in finance, and he has expanded the School’s reach and impact, especially across the business community in New York City. Marco Antonio conceived of our new tradition, the annual Colin L. Powell Distinguished Leadership Award, and he and Santander have made it a reality. I look forward to working more closely with him as co-chair of our Board of Visitors.”
“The Colin Powell School’s mission is to prepare the nation’s most diverse student body to become tomorrow’s global leaders. Marco Antonio Achón believes in this mission to his core, and he is an exceptional leader on our Board of Visitors,” said Andrew Rich, the Richard J. Henley and Susan L. Davis Dean of the Colin Powell School. “His vision, enthusiasm, and energy have been transformative for the School during my time as dean, and I am thrilled that he will join Linda Powell as co-chair of our Board of Visitors.”
“When General Powell invited me to join the Board of Visitors in 2019, I said yes without hesitation because of my respect and admiration for him. In the years since, I have come to appreciate the essential role of the Colin Powell School in developing new leaders for New York City and our world,” said Achón. “Our students come from all over the world and from every background with a determination to make a difference, and the school sets them on a firm path to success. It is an honor to join Linda Powell as co-chair of our Board of Visitors.”
“The Colin Powell School has always benefited from strong support by an extremely active board. Marco Antonio Achón represents the very finest example of this support and we are thrilled he will be working alongside Linda Powell to guide the Colin Powell School through its next chapter,” said CCNY President Vince Boudreau.
The Colin Powell School’s Board of Visitors helps to support the School’s strategic direction and philanthropic initiatives.
About Marco Antonio Achón
Marco Antonio Achón is global head of Corporate Banking, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking.
He joined Santander US and was appointed CEO of Santander Investment Securities and general manager of the New York Branch in October 2017 after serving as global head of Financial Solutions & Advisory in Madrid for Santander SA. Marco has held various leadership roles with Santander Group since December 2005, including global head of Loan Markets, European head of Credit Markets, and European head of Corporate & Investment Banking.
Marco brings with him more than two decades of experience with large U.S. and international financial institutions. Prior to joining Santander, Marco served as head of Debt Capital Markets and Loan Syndications for the Americas for BBVA Securities, Inc. in New York and vice president of the Latin America Group at Argentaria.
Marco has a B.A. in business administration and a BA in law from Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid. He also received an M.B.A. from Columbia University in the City of New York. He is president of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the Columbia Business School Deming Center, a board member of the Americas Society/ Council for the Americas as well as a member of YPO NYC .
About the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership
Established in April 2013, the Colin Powell School is home to the social science departments at CCNY as well as the core leadership development and public service programs of the College. With 4,000 students, and graduating the most CCNY students annually, the Colin Powell School mission is to transform the nation’s most diverse student body into tomorrow’s global leaders. Half of our students are immigrants; most come from lower income backgrounds. More than seventy percent are first-generation college students, and eighty percent are people of color. The Colin Powell School and City College remain among the most effective engines of economic and social mobility in the United States. The School is led by a faculty dedicated to the highest standards of research and to the university’s democratic and public obligations. Read more about the Colin Powell School.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Syd Steinhardt
212-650-7875
ssteinhardt1@ccny.cuny.edu